


You're All I Have Left and I Pray That You'll Listen

by DocSawbones



Series: Lemon Demon Two-Parters [1]
Category: Re-Animator (Movies)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-11
Updated: 2019-02-12
Packaged: 2019-10-26 12:38:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17746043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DocSawbones/pseuds/DocSawbones
Summary: “Dan, do you know why I’m still here?” Herbert asks him. Dan isn’t sure if the question is rhetorical or not.Takes place a few months after Bride of Re-Animator, Beyond Re-Animator will not be counted because it isn't a real movie.Title from "One Weird Tip" by Lemon Demon because it was stuck in my head





	1. Chapter 1

“Dan, do you know why I’m still here?” Herbert asks him. Dan isn’t sure if the question is rhetorical or not. He’d been called down into the basement, expecting to have to hold down another experiment, or to provide insight to whatever the hell Herbert is doing. Instead he had found his roommate, the ever-so-infamous Herbert West, leaning against one of the tables with his arms crossed. “After everything, after what happened at Miskatonic, Peru, and even just a few months ago. I’m still here.” He says, staring Dan down.

“I don’t know,” Dan begins, “is it because I’m useful to you?” He can’t help but feel as if he’s just a second set of hands for Herbert. “I mean, I am your assistant, or whatever the hell you want to call me.” Thinking back to a few months before now, and how Dan had tried to move out, he says, “I couldn’t leave. Is it because I’m trapped here with you, West? Stuck with you and your experiments and tests and body snatching?”

“That’s not it, Dan.” Herbert grows defensive, tensing up.

“Really? Then what is it?”

Herbert sighs and rubs his face with a hand, unsure of how to explain this carefully and without issue. Dan crosses his arms, waiting for Herbert to explain himself. Why he still stayed, despite the horrible things that had happened. Assumptions are made in his mind, money, fame, using Dan, whatever seems easiest to believe.

“Let’s start with Rufus. Why do you think I brought it back?”

He didn’t want to think about his poor cat, “To convince me to work with you?”

“Not entirely. I knew you liked it, Dan.” Herbert explained, “Yes, the cat dying was an opportunity to show you my work, but it meant _something_ to you.”

Dan processes this, then slowly says, “So… you took pity on me for my cat dying? Great.” He lets out a short laugh in the form of a huff, putting his hands up.

“No, Cain. That’s not it either.” He points to Dan, “I did it for you.”

“Why?”

“I care about you more than you think. Haven’t you ever noticed how I talk to you compared to everyone else?”

 

Thinking about it now, Dan realizes that Herbert does act differently around him than everyone else. He seems to be more open with Dan, giving answers that aren’t just a single word or a noncommittal hum. Everyone else is confused by Herbert, he closes himself off, but not with Dan. Hell, even way back when he first moved in, Herbert insisted that Meg call him “Mr. West” but let Dan call him by his first name. “What about that, Herbert?” He asks him, oblivious to what his roommate was trying to hint at.

At last, Herbert couldn’t deal with this conversation not going where he wanted it to. “Damn it, Daniel, I love you.” He blurts out, “Why else do you think I made that girl for you? The one with Meg’s heart? I thought that if you wouldn’t love me, then you’d at least love something I made.”

Dan is taken aback at this. Herbert West, talking about his feelings? Romantic feelings for Dan, no less? It seemed surreal to him, like another experiment or maybe a dream. Even despite those things, it was somewhat… shocking that he was gay. Dan didn’t have any issue with that, but Herbert did not seem like that kind of man. Then again, he reasoned to himself, he hasn’t met or seen a lot of gay people. His thoughts are interrupted by a sniffling noise. Dan starts to ask him something, but is cut off, “I’m _not_ crying.” Herbert says sharply, wiping at his face.

So Dan opens his arms, a weak offer of comfort. Herbert immediately clings to him, holding Dan tight.


	2. Chapter 2

It’s been days, and Dan is still thinking about what Herbert had told him. Meanwhile, Herbert himself has kept away from Dan. Avoiding eye contact more than usual, mostly keeping to his room and the basement, and actively avoiding conversation as well. Thinking everything over, he considers his last two girlfriends. Meg fell victim to the Miskatonic massacre, and Francesca was disgusted with Dan and Herbert after what happened a few months ago. For the months afterward, and up to now, he hasn’t even thought about trying to go on any dates. 

Now, he knocks on the secondary door in the basement, the one directly leading to their lab. “West? I wanna talk.” There’s shuffling noises, then footsteps, and Herbert opens the door. He looks awful. Clearly tired, hair disheveled, shirt stained with blood and reagent. “You look terrible.” Dan helpfully comments and Herbert responds with a noncommittal noise, walking back into the lab.

 

In the lab, it’s equally as disastrous as Herbert himself. Various body parts are on the floor and the table, toppled over beakers and other containers. On top of that, it smells awful. “Herbert, you’re-” Dan starts to say, but is cut off.

“I know, Dan. It’s stress.” He snaps, running a hand through his hair. Quickly, he makes a feeble attempt at cleaning up, grabbing random parts, putting them in boxes, and putting them away. He wipes down tables and counters with a dirty towel he found somewhere, trying to remove the spilled blood and reagent. “What did you want to talk about?” He says, turning to look at Dan after cleaning up somewhat. 

“How long did you know? About me, I mean.” Dan asks, crossing his arms. 

Herbert sighs, thinking for a few moments. He hesitates, then says, “When… I first met you. You were the only person in the room that seemed… intriguing.” Avoiding eye contact with Dan, he elaborates, “You were… are… handsome, and you didn’t seem terrible. That was partially the reason why I took your offer for a roommate, besides the fact I needed a place to stay.”

Dan takes this information in, processing it. So, Herbert didn’t see him as a threat, and he thinks Dan is… handsome. Alright. That isn’t terrible, compared to the things the pair has seen before. This is awkward, it’s entirely silent in the lab, to the point where they can hear each other’s breathing. “So…” He says, trying to break the silence. 

 

Out of nowhere, Herbert steps closer to Dan, putting his hands on his arms. To Dan, he looks so… vulnerable. Tired, messy, open about his feelings for once. Not as pristine and sterile as usual. It makes Dan feel something deep within him, an urge to keep Herbert safe and happy. Is this love? Or is this Daniel’s tendency to get attached to patients infecting his home life? Either way, it makes him pull Herbert close, and kiss him softly.


End file.
